About Us

Our Statement of Faith

First Baptist Church Forsyth strives to please Christ Jesus by demonstrating our love for Him through our obedience to His commands and through our service for others.

Statement of Faith

First Baptist Church Forsyth is an autonomous, independent congregation of baptized believers who choose to cooperate with the Tri-County Baptist Association, the Missouri Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. As an autonomous Baptist congregation existing within the larger body of the New Testament Church, First Forsyth holds to certain core values and beliefs.

We at First Forsyth strongly believe in the soul competency of each individual, which means that each Christian is called to act as a believer-priest in his relationship with God. However, we do hold that inherent with church membership is the requirement of agreement and adherence by each member to the basic beliefs and core values representative of this body and to the structure that governs this body as well.

With this in mind, our core values and statement of faith are presented with a two-fold purpose. First, to help in your decision as to whether you feel God is calling you to become a part of this congregation, and second, to aid you as a member in evaluating and implementing your role.

The following statements are derived from and based upon the 2000 version of the Baptist Faith and Message. For the complete document, you may visit the Southern Baptist Convention web site at www.sbc.net.

•God is defined as the one living and true God. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being. Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalms 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24, John 10:30; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14.

•Scripture was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man. It has God for its author, salvation for its end and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter....The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. Ex. 24:4; Deut. 4:1-2; 17:19; Josh. 8:34; Psalm 12:6, 19:7-10; 119:11, 89, 105, 140, 160; Isa. 34:16; 40:8; Jer. 15:16; 36; Matt. 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16 ff, 17:11; Rom. 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Tim. 1:13, 3:15-17; Heb. 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

.The Church is both local and universal. A local New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In such a congregation members are equally responsible. Its Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. The New Testament speaks also of the universal church as the body of Christ which includes all the redeemed of all the ages. Matt. 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42, 47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23, 27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11, 21; 5:22-32; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:1-15; 4:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Rev. 2-3; 21:2-3.

•Baptism and Lord's Supper are recognized as the two ordinances of the local church. Matt. 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26, 16:15-16; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:12, 35-39; 9:18, 10:47, 16:30-33, 20:7; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:16, 21; 11:23-29; Col. 2:12.Believer's baptism symbolizes the believer's faith in a crucified, buried and risen Savior and also testifies of the believer's death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ that salvation has brought. The Lord's Supper memorializes the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and celebrates the surety of his Second Coming.

•The Lord's Day is the first day of the week commemorating the resurrection of Christ and it is set apart for worship and celebration. Ex. 20:8-11; Matt. 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3, 33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1, 19-28; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Col. 2:16; 3:16; Rev. 1:10.

•The kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age. Gen. 1:1; Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6; Matt. 3:2; 4:8-10, 23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Rom. 5:17; 8:19; 1 Cor. 15:24-28; Col. 1:13; Heb. 11:10, 16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Rev. 1:6, 9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.

•The Christian and Social Order should be reflected by a church membership that seeks to be Christ-like in the midst of community. The life of each church member should remain free of selfish ambition. Our church body is called to be involved our community and influence it for the cause of Christ. Ex. 20:3-17; Lev. 6:2-5; Deut. 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Mic. 6:8; Zech. 8>16; Matt. 5:13-16, 43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; John 15:12; 17:15; Rom. 12-14; 1 Cor. 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:12-17; 1 Thess. 3:12; Philemon; James 1:27; 2:8.

•Religious Liberty indicates that the state owes every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. There is to be a free church in a free state. Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Matt. 6:6-7, 24; 16:26; 22:21; John 8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Rom. 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Gal. 5:1, 13; Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19.